Everly Backe’s Family

A few weeks before Everly Backe entered the world, her parents learned she would be born with a congenital heart defect. Within three days of her birth, Everly had open-heart surgery. It was the first of three she’d undergo before her first birthday.

Through multiple surgeries, Everly’s parents, Lauren and Matt, and older brother, Jack, relied on Ronald McDonald House to keep them close. “When Everly is in the hospital and looking for me, I don’t want to be two hours away. I want to be two minutes away,” shared Lauren.

The House provided the Backe family with more than a place to sleep during their stays so they could focus on their little girl. “I rarely left the hospital to eat, so when a day didn’t go as planned and I missed lunch and dinner, the fact that volunteers had a meal in the fridge with my name on it when I got back to the House at 3:00 a.m. meant I actually ate that day,” said Lauren.